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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — ground
  3. file — a document
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. field — a subject
  7. file — a tool
  8. charge — a price
  9. land — a country
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. file — a line of people
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. land — to come down
  15. field — for sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. mark — a grade
  19. charge — electricity
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. field — farmland
  24. bat — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com